The significance of winning a medal at Olympics for India

India is a vast country with over 139 crores population. The people get ecstatic when “their country” wins in sports. I still remember those days when people went crazy over cricket scores and used to discuss the performances of the players enthusiastically. Now too they may discuss, but I think since the pandemic has made a drastic change in their lives, their conversational priorities have shifted. And when it comes to Olympics, which is a global game, it started with full vigor amidst pandemic fears. In fact, the Olympics game was supposed to be played last year, but it was postponed to this year (2021). Last year the Olympics was postponed due to COVID-19 fears, and now it seems that the world has really learnt how to manage the Olympics amidst the fears. .

Why I like India’s approach in encouraging participants

We may not be in the top slot in Olympics now, but I like the way Indians encourage sports. With Mirabhai Chanu winning a silver in weightlifting on the opening day, it is indeed a heartening sign.  With the social networking platforms erupting with loads of congratulatory messages and people silently appreciating the victory even though they  haven’t come out of the effect of the pandemic, I am happy that the zest to participate will count at the end of the day.

A country, say India, may not win 17-20 medal winners everyday, but the sentiments and support attached to it is very high. Of late, India is known to take everything in a serene manner despite failures. We may be poor economically, but we are known for motivating medal winners with the true spirit of sports. Though there may be other countries in the Olympics who are above us in the medals tally, it’s alright given that we appreciate efforts. And amidst the pandemic when Olympics is a success, it is also a global joy.

Tokyo Olympics 2020

Now lets go with a bit of the current updates. India beats Japan 5-3 in Men’s hockey, and due to this victory India is only second to Australia, with four victories out of five matches. And there is encouragement from the win of PV Sindhu, who moved to the women’s singles semi-finals. Debutante Lovlina Borguhain gives the happiness of assuring India of their first boxing medal by giving an amazing performance at the quarterfinals. It is to be noted that all four semi-finalists in boxing will get a medal.

Why cricket is not part of Olympics

This blog would be incomplete without including why cricket is not part of Olympics. I used to wonder why cricket is not played in the Olympics. Then I understood that cricket is a long game, both the one-day international and test series. But still there is the 20-20 format which can be a valid reason for including cricket in Olympics. Though cricket is a popular  sports in some parts of the world, it doesn’t mean that it is a global game. Besides, some may even be frustrated that cricket is not included in the Tokyo Olympics 2020. But considering the costs and facilities involved in preparation of the cricket field, who knows, the organizing committee would have decided against it.

Take-home message

The motto of Olympics since 1984 has been “faster, higher, stronger”.  This is indeed a great motto given that you understand your victories or losses faster, reach higher levels, and turn out a stronger person. This spirit should be for every game, where the participants do their best and let others get inspired from them.

 

One Thought to “The significance of winning a medal at Olympics for India”

  1. Akshaya

    Informative blog! 😁

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